Justice
2014's Biggest Winner Was Marijuana
This year saw support for medical and recreational weed grow all over the country. The smoke is still clearing on what it all means.
It's been a blazingly successful year for marijuana advocates. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is now legal in 23 states and D.C., with Maryland, Minnesota, and New York passing their own legislation on such use this year. Maryland, Missouri, and D.C. decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot, and all that happened in the wake of Washington state and Colorado fully implementing their legalization laws this year, too. (Alaska and Oregon also passed legalization laws this year, which won't go into effect until later.)*
It would be understandable, of course, if certain specifics of the year's marijuana-related highlights remain cloudy. In case anyone has some blank spots, here’s a handy recap of 2014’s high points: